When the ox cart arrived at the production team, Wang Tiezhu, the team leader, was already waiting under the big locust tree. Looking at the delicate and tender-skinned educated youths stepping off the cart, he couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

But when his gaze landed on Shen Zhihuan, who was carrying a basket as she got off the cart, his face showed a trace of surprise.

Wasn’t Widow Li’s third daughter supposed to be unwell?
Why did she look so healthy?

“Uncle Tiezhu.” Seeing Wang Tiezhu looking at her, Shen Zhihuan greeted him with a smile.

“The sun is harsh out here; hurry home so your mother and younger brother don’t worry.” A faint smile appeared on Wang Tiezhu’s tanned face, softening his typically stern demeanor.

“Okay, Uncle Tiezhu, I’ll head back now. Take care.” Shen Zhihuan slung the basket onto her back, smiled, and nodded.

He truly deserved his reputation as a strong contender for the next Village Chief of Panshi Village. His way of dealing with people was impeccable.

After walking only a few steps, she heard Wang Tiezhu’s hearty voice calling out to the others:
“Welcome, everyone! You must all be tired from the journey…”

Shen Zhihuan smirked faintly and quickened her pace.

When she arrived home, it seemed her mother, Li Qiuhua, and Xiao Weidong were still out working.

Shen Zhihuan moved the water bucket under the grape arbor to the doorway of the small house.

The weather had been hot recently, and even water left under the eaves would heat up quickly.

She cleaned some pork bones and set them to simmer in a large iron pot. She added a few pieces of pork ribs and left them to stew together.

As the rice cooked in a nearby pot, she took today’s bounty—including powdered milk Qin Bin had helped her acquire, as well as apples, mangoes, and a large handful of plums—and placed them in the cupboard in Li Qiuhua’s room.

After pouring the rice into a corner jar, Shen Zhihuan heard the creak of the courtyard gate being pushed open.

Smelling the aroma of food, Xiao Weidong dashed into the kitchen. Not finding anyone there, he ran to Shen Zhihuan’s room, and when she wasn’t there, he made his way to Li Qiuhua’s room.

“Third Sister, are you tired or hungry?” Xiao Weidong asked, his flushed face dripping with sweat as he looked at her with concern.

“Nope, neither tired nor hungry!” Shen Zhihuan smiled warmly.

She reached out to him, but seeing how sweaty he was, she pulled her hand back naturally.
“Go take a bath. Look at you, all sweaty.” She turned to the wardrobe to get clean clothes for him and Li Qiuhua.

When Li Qiuhua came in, Shen Zhihuan was just closing the wardrobe. She scrutinized her daughter from head to toe, and after confirming she was okay, she finally relaxed the tension that had been weighing on her heart all morning.

“Third Sister, did you buy all these today?” Xiao Weidong’s eyes sparkled as he gazed at the dark purple grapes and the plump, red cherries in the basin.

“Dinner needs to simmer a bit longer. Go ahead and snack on some fruit. There’s egg cakes, peach pastries, canned goods, White Rabbit milk candy, and glutinous rice sticks in the cupboard—take what you want,” Shen Zhihuan said with a smile, popping a cherry into his mouth.

“They have pits, so don’t swallow them; spit them out,” she reminded him.

She then turned to put a cherry into Li Qiuhua’s mouth as well.

“Aren’t these expensive?” Li Qiuhua asked hesitantly.

In these days, fruit is a luxury item, akin to a wristwatch—something beyond the reach of ordinary families.

“It’s not expensive. My classmate’s brother sells these, and he gave them to me at cost price. Don’t worry about it, Mom, just eat.” Shen Zhihuan peeled a grape with practiced ease and smiled.

“Mom, there are three bags of powdered milk in the cupboard. Every morning, you and Weidong should each have a cup. Milk powder has a shelf life, so don’t be reluctant to drink it. Once it expires, it’ll go to waste,” she said.

“Shelf life? What’s that? And why does it go bad after that?” Li Qiuhua, who had been about to say she didn’t need the milk, was taken aback.

Milk powder was famously expensive. Years ago, her brother had given her a bag, but she had only ever dusted it off occasionally—never daring to actually open it.

“The shelf life is the best time to consume it. If you keep it too long, the milk powder spoils and becomes unsafe to drink,” Shen Zhihuan explained, racking her brain for a way to simplify the concept.

“Don’t worry, Mom. These were also sold to me cheaply by my classmate’s brother. When they’re finished, I’ll buy more—it’s not expensive at all,” she said, her face calm and steady as she weaved her story.

Had the original host not attended school, she wouldn’t have had such an excuse to fall back on.

“Really?” Li Qiuhua asked hesitantly.

But hadn’t Wang Chunmei said milk powder was outrageously expensive?

“Really, as true as pearls are precious,” Shen Zhihuan replied with a grin, feeding another peeled grape to her mother.

“Third Sister, have one too!” Xiao Weidong shoved a messily peeled grape into her mouth.

“Sweet?” he asked earnestly.

“Sweet!” Shen Zhihuan laughed, smearing her sticky hands playfully across his face. “So sweet it melts right into my heart.”

After a bit of playfulness, she washed her hands and wiped Weidong’s face with a damp cloth.

“Mom, Weidong will be six after the New Year. Xiaopang (Little Fatty), who’s the same age, started school last year. I think we should send him to school after the summer break,” Shen Zhihuan suggested.

“School?” Li Qiuhua looked confused.

In those times, many families were too poor to afford education. Children often helped earn work points or foraged to ease the household burden instead of attending school.

The original host’s sisters, Shen Zhimei and Shen Zhilan, had been among those who never set foot in a classroom.

The only reason the original host had been allowed to study was that her frail health had compelled the family to invest in her future. Otherwise, with her barely surviving body, if she went to the fields, she’d probably go down standing and come back up lying flat.